Ron Bennett menswear

[Benny Holiday]

In my humble opinion, one of the finer Australian menswear stores around today. While the bulk of my wardrobe is tailor-made, on many occasions when I've wandered past the Ron Bennett store in Parramatta I've been drawn in by the suits and sportscoats on display there.

I have a Ron Bennett sportscoat I purchased five years ago, a very Golden Era-looking jacket in tawny brown with a faint light navy blue and reddish brown overplaid (unfortunately, I haven't got any digital pics of it). I often receive compliments about it when I wear it, it's a great fit for an off the rack garment and is very well made. Last night, I was over at Parramatta shopping for cufflinks for a good friend's upcoming birthday, and while passing the Ron Bennett store I again espied a lovely jacket, a medium blue sportscoat that looked like it was right out of LA Confidential. It was on sale for $150, but alas rising interest rates on my home loan have massacred my disposable income and I had not the funds to purchase such a fine item.
It was heartening, though, to see that Ron Bennett still sells such classic styles of menswear (the suits in the window were very classy as well).

So a heads-up to you Aussie guys here on the Lounge: not only does Ron Bennett stock some nice gear, the sale prices look pretty good right now, too. They're well worth checking out.

Here's a link to an interesting article I found about Ron Bennett, from the Sydney Morning Herald when Mr Bennett passed away in 2003, aged 77:

http://www.smh.com.au/cgi-bin/commo...?path=/articles/2003/08/22/1061529344331.html

 

[Matt Deckard]

Interesting story.

I too am keen on the charcoal grey aesthetic... much more so over blue or black. Anywho... show us that jacket you mention.

 

[Benny Holiday]

I will indeed, Matt. I'll take some pics of it on the weekend. Glad you liked the story, until I read it I didn't know much about the man behind the store name at all.

 

[neyus]

I live in Brisbane and from time-to-time visit the Ron Bennett clothing stores.

I found an unlined school stripe Gian Franco Ferre tie once. For $30.00 I think it was a good buy. Their sportscoats are quite nice, particularly on sale.

I enjoyed the article, I am quite partial to Ivy League or trad style, and it is a shame that we can't buy the gear here in Australian shops

Looking forward to seeing the photos.

 

[PenMan]

I try to get to the Ron Bennett warehouse on occasion (in Alexandria). They do good sales, and in addition to their own lines (including CEO) they sell Boss and other decent makes. I saw a suit earlier this year, nice cut and colour for me with working buttons on the sleeve. It was $500 Australian. I am hoping to get it cheap on sale somewhere.

Also didn't know that the company started in Newtown. I'll have to find out where.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Clever me, I took photos of my first Ron Bennett jacket and then went overseas before posting them! Better late than never, I guess. Anyway, now I'm back from o/s, so here is the jacket, with a close-up of the fabric: